Is Chess.com's Chess Mentor worth the money?

I am interested in the Chess Mentor that chess.com offers but am hesitant to pay for it because I'm not sure what I'm getting.

Anyone have any honest feedback on their experience with the Chess Mentor? Do you think it was worth the money?

Thanks.

I like it. While it doesn't offer you anything you can't get out of a book, the overall format is very user-friendly. I look at it like a step between buying a chess book and hiring a chess coach.

I think it is better than a chess book because it:

1. Is on a screen and you don't have to actually set up a board and play through all the variations on the board.

2. It explains why one move is wrong, and why another is better.

3. You can pick whatever you want to learn, and it is useful for players of all skill levels.

4. More courses are always added.

5. With the chess mentor membership, you get all the great features chess.com has to offer.

I've only listed a few perks, I think it's definitely worth the money.

Back in the late '90s, I paid close to $100 for a Windows-based version of Chess Mentor that only had a fraction of the content that's in the online version here, and I thought *that* was a good deal at the time.

If you sign up for a Gold membership you get a few hours of Chess Mentor, which is enough to try it out at least.  I found it fun to use and fairly helpful, but after using up my few hours I did not buy more time just because it seems rather expensive. 

The fact that you pay by the hour makes it less appealing for me, since when I'm learning I prefer to take the time to understand exactly why each move is a good or bad one.  If I'm instead trying to tear through as many problems as I can quickly in order to get my "money's worth" that sort of defeats the purpose in a way.

Overall I'd say a good chess book provides more bang for the buck as far as learning goes, especially at the beginning levels, but the interactivity of Chess Mentor is nice and it's certainly cheaper than paying for a chess tutor.

there is a 30-day money-back guarantee - what's the risk? :)

Actually, Gold memberships no longer include Chess Mentor time. Nor is Chess Mentor time sold by the hour anymore, so you dont have to worry about rushing to get your money's worth, like you said.

I think Erik's advice is best. Go ahead, buy a month. If you don't like it, you can get your money back. Though more than likely, you I think you will want to turn around and buy a year's worth. ;-)

I have the Windows CD verison of Chess Mentor and have used it for years. It is an OK system for learning but , in my opinion, not as good as the hype. I use it with my 8 year old daughter and it works well in training siutations--the random positions (on the CD version) is not that good as they repeat or go in numerical order (even when not supposed to)--the comments and into's are nice. I like CT-Art for serious tactical work. Training tools cost money , just like lessones and as Erik said try it and see as everyone has different preference

Fun but overpriced. It will not make you a grandmaster.

Not to totally disagree with post #9 ... but I will anyways.

I found chess mentor to be immensely frustrating (they throw you into Nimzowitsch on move 25 and expect you to figure out where he's putting his knights... like, good luck).  BUT the price is great and it does help your chess if you work through it deliberately.

Totally worth trying.

When I purchased my diamond membership a few weeks ago, Chess Mentor was the main reason for it. I had tried the free trial hours and they had been great. Now, a few weeks later, I have not been disappointed one bit and would recommend it to everybody who is serious about improving there chess skills. The array of courses offered is so vast and the interface is so user friendly and easy to follow that you can have fun and improve your chess at the same time.

Chess mentor is fantastic and will definitely help you become a stronger player. Obviously you will get out what you put in...you will need to put the hours in, otherwise it would be a waste of money.

If you seriously want to become a better player, I think the diamond membership is the best value. Your chess mentor time will be unlimited. You will be able to receive computer analysis of every game that you play. You will be able to study openings and refer to the chess.com opening database.

I have not come across a diamond member on this site who regrets the decision to sign up, which speaks volumes!

My advice; take the 30 day trial of chess mentor. Then cancel it, and make sure you do that before whatever cut off date you are given when you sign up for the trial. Then take the diamond membership if you like what's on offer.

Hi everyone, 'Manchero' expresses my opinion also.  I would say if you would use Chess Mentor then it is a great learning tool.  The question you have to ask yourself is, if you have will you use it.

Aloha and mahalo for Chess Mentor.  Manchero said it perfectly.  I became a diamond member when my time on Chess Mentor ran out on an earlier subscription.  I had learned so much in such a short time that I had to go for broke, as we say in Hawaii.  I've bought many books over the years, and played through many of them, but Chess Mentor, for me, teaches you much, much more, in the same amount of time you must spend working your way through books with all the variations.  One could spend $100 easily, for say 5 books and spend a lot of time studying them, whereas almost the same amount of money for a one-year Diamond Membership, I believe, could teach you the equivalent of a great number of books and save you a lot of precious time, which is expensive in and of itself.

My only issue is that my wife got upset with me for spending too much time on Chess.com.

I upgraded my membership after trying it and would recommend it to anybody.

Walter2008,

I took some advice on a similar forum topic and signed up for the monthly diamond to get a feel for how good mentor is.  If satisfied, I may move to the annual membership.  But this approach let me dip my toe in the water before plunging in.  So far, I have enjoyed the lessons and find them instructive.

I think it's fantastic.  You can learn at your pace on topics ranging from basic to advanced.  It's much better than chess books.

 How would you know if you're still Platimum?

Cool - Thanks everyone. I think I will follow the general recommendation is go to Diamond for a month and give it a shot.

All I'm trying to do is raise my consistencey a bit and get my game up by maybe a 100 points. This may do the trick.

  - Bob -

it might be expensive compared to a hot dog...

but it's cheap when you consider that you get a whole year of chess mentor for the price of $1 hour with a private GM coach :)